Week of September 14-18

Dear DG Families,

It was so great to see so many of our students and families this week!  We are looking forward to our first full week of school next week.

Absentee Line.

Just a reminder, if your child will be absent please call in your child’s absence at 604-581-6185, and leave a message when prompted

 


COVID Health Check Form on Parent Connect 

As part of the District’s Safety Plan and COVID protocols, parents must sign into Parent Connect and complete the on line Health Check Form.  By signing off on this form you are confirming that you will go through the Daily COVID Symptom checklist each day before school and that you will not send your child to school if you have answered « yes » to any of the questions    It’s a confirmation that you’ll do your part to help keep everyone at school safe and help prevent the spread of COVID by not sending your child to us if they are sick (and we thank you in advance!)

This is a new form this year and it is actually a requirement that parents complete this form in order for your child to attend school.

You might be wondering « does  this means the District could say my child is not allowed to come to school if I have not done this form? ». Yes, that’s exactly what that means!  This could happen and we do not want to be in that situation, so please, please, please log on to Parent Connect and do the form!  

Instructions are here 

More information about parent connect (including how to fix password issues when there are multiple children at our school) is listed at the bottom of this post.

If you need help with parent connect, please contact Mrs. Verma at the school by calling (604-581-6185) or email sverma@deltasd.bc.ca

 

Staggered Entry and Exit Times

Beginning Monday, September 14th and throughout the school year, we will be implementing staggered entry and exit times. This will help reduce crowding in the hallways, so that students can maintain physical distance.  Please look at the schedule below for your times.

*Please note that Kindergarten students will still follow the gradual entry schedule for the week of September 14-18.  You should have received this in the mail.  If you did not, or if you have any questions, please call the office  

 

Line Up Areas

Students will now be lining up with their new divisions (classes). PRIMARY CLASSES will line up at their designated doors. INTERMEDIATE CLASSES will line up on the field. Look for the CONE with your child’s TEACHER’S NAME and DIVISION NUMBER.

A reminder to please remind your child to practice social distancing (parents, too please) while waiting to come inside in the morning.   We are also asking that families please leave the school grounds right after dismissal to avoid too much congestion.    You are welcome to come back later (after 3:30) to use the playground 

Those of you with children in both primary and intermediate grades may be worried about the staggered entry/exit times (which start on Monday), in particular if your older children are responsible for accompanying their younger siblings, home, after school.

The 10 min between dismissal times is necessary to reduce crowding in the hallways, stairwells and near the exit doors.   Of course, this does require some adjustment to usual routines for older children who are used to picking up their younger siblings at their designated doors.

In order to help your children with their new after school routine, we are asking that you please have some conversations at home, this weekend.

Please choose a designated family meeting spot, on the school grounds, where your younger children will wait, every day, for their older siblings.

Your family meeting spot could be in the undercover area, at a certain spot on the playground, near a particular tree, or whatever works best for your family (in keeping physical distancing in mind, we would ask that your family meeting spot not be directly outside an exit door, but nearby is ok).

Your younger children should know that, because they are dismissed first, they will not see their older sibling waiting for them outside, and that is ok and there is no need to panic.   Their older sibling will be along shortly.  Please make sure your children know they need to stay at your family meeting spot, and not wander around to look for their siblings.

Please be reassured (and let your children know) that we will have staff outside, on supervision, covering both dismissal times and primary teachers will not be leaving their students unattended while waiting for older siblings to be dismissed.

In general, please let your children know that should they need any assistance (in the morning, at recess, lunch or after school), they need to look for a staff member.  At Devon Gardens we believe we are all teachers of all students, so your child can approach any staff member for assistance – it doesn’t need to be their own teacher.   Staff members on supervision wear high visibility safety vests so they are easily identifiable.

Classroom teachers will also be talking to their students about this (designated meeting spots, new after school routines, etc…) next week.

 

Please ensure your child comes to school, ready for the day:

• Clothing & Sunscreen – Please send your child with proper clothing for all kids of weather, as we will spend time outdoors. Sunscreen should be applied at home. Only send sunscreen if your child is able to apply it independently (teachers will not be permitted to apply sunscreen to your child).

You are also encouraged to send an extra set of clothes, in a sealed plastic bag, labelled with your child’s name.

• Food & Water – Please ensure your child brings sufficient water for the day (minimum, 2 full water bottles), as school water fountains have been turned off.

NO MID DAY LUINCH DROP OFF – Students must also bring their snacks and lunches with them in the morning (starting Sept 14) as lunch drop offs at school will not be permitted. Should a student forget his/her lunch, they will not go hungry. We will have some food supplies on hand for emergencies.

Students will not be permitted to share food with one another (also, please do not send treats on your child’s birthday)

Please take a look at our staff list to find your child’s division, teacher’s name and email address.

This school year, we are welcoming the following staff to our school:

  • Ms. Burr, our Kindergarten teacher
  • Ms. Tseng, our Band teacher
  • Ms. Saip, our school psychologist
  • Ms. Calvert, our child and youth care worker
  • Ms. Khanna, our Educational Assistant
  • Mr. Chand, our daytime custodian

https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/staff/staff-directory/

 

Managing Life Threatening Allergies at school

While many people suffer from bothersome but manageable allergies (eg. certain foods, pet dander, seasonal allergies, etc…), a small number of people have severe, life threatening allergies.   At Devon Gardens, we have students and staff who have severe, life threatening allergies to nuts, fish/seafood and onions.    Their allergies are so severe that these items cannot be brought to school, at all.

In addition to this, if your child is in a class with a student who has a severe allergy, you will receive a letter from the school outlining if certain food/products need to be avoided by students in the class in order to create a safe environment.

If your child has life-threatening allergies, please ensure you have informed the school and that you have provided the necessary paperwork and rescue medication (eg. Epi-Pen).

Thank you for your cooperation.  With your help, we can do our best to prevent a reaction and to make sure that all of our students are safe, healthy, and able to concentrate on learning. Anyone wishing further explanation or information on this type of allergy may contact the school.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

If your child has any serious allergies or medical conditions, and/or needs to have access to medication such as an inhaler or epipen at school, please contact our school administrative assistant, Mrs. Verma at sverma@deltasd.bc.ca

 

Parent Connect is a web based application for parents to use to update/view their child(ren’s) demographic Information, to consent to various Permission Forms, to Schedule Parent/Teacher Conferences, etc…. .

At the beginning of each year, all parents need to go onto parent connect to:

  • Verify/Update their demographic/emergency release information.
  • Complete the on-line permission forms

Please see the links provided for further information.

parent connect instructions 2

If you have multiple children at our school and are having problems seeing all of your children when you connect to parent connect, please read this link for further information on how to correct this problem.

PC-Synch Passwords

 

Thursday, September 24th:

  • Term 1 Previews sent home to parents
  • DG Open House *More information will be sent about how this will take place this year

Friday, September 25th – Professional day School is NOT in session